Exhibitions & Events
Paper Stories, Layered Dreams: The Art of Ekua Holmes
A lifelong resident of Boston’s Roxbury neighborhood, Ekua Holmes (b. 1955) is an artist and community activist whose body of work explores themes of childhood, family bonds, memory, and resilience. This exhibition focuses on her award-winning children’s book illustrations—vibrant collages revealing stories of self-determination, love, and community that reflect the artist’s distinctive vision and commitment to Black imagery.
Planting Together: Conversation with Ekua Holmes and Elizabeth James-Perry
Join us for a conversation with “Garden for Boston” artists and activists Elizabeth James-Perry (Aquinnah Wampanoag, born 1973) and Ekua Holmes (African American, born 1955).
Garden for Boston
Between May and September, artists and activists Ekua Holmes (African American, b. 1955) and Elizabeth James-Perry (Aquinnah Wampanoag, b. 1973) will create a “Garden for Boston” outside the MFA’s main entrance. The two installations that comprise this exhibition, in dialogue with each other and the surrounding space, reshape the grounds around Cyrus Dallin’s monumental bronze sculpture Appeal to the Great Spirit (1909) with sunflowers and corn—ephemeral plants that are nonetheless part of the endless cycles of nature and long histories of New England land.
Jane Addams Book Award Ceremony
Save the date for a virtual Jane Addams Book Award Ceremony on April 28 from 1-2:30 EST hosted by the University of Findlay’s Mazza Museum.
Authors will respond to a selection of questions then.
Cousen Rose Gallery
Ekua Holmes’ collages will be on exhibit at Cousen Rose Gallery starting on Saturday, August 17, from 7 to 9 pm. Her books, “The Stuff of Stars” and “Out of Wonder,” will also be available.
Finding Fannie Lou: An Illustrator's Journey with Ekua Holmes | The Virginia Association of School Librarians Annual Conference
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Boston Book Festival: Paper Doll Portraits
When civil rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer was a child and was not feeling good about herself, her mom gave her a doll to inspire her to love herself and believe that she was beautiful and valued. The doll was most likely made by someone in their neighborhood using bits and scraps of fabric, ribbon, and yarn. It was made to look like Fannie Lou and wore a dress in her signature sunflower yellow. This story and others from Fannie Lou’s life are brilliantly illustrated by Ekua Holmes in the Caldecott Honor Book Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer, Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement. Now, with Holmes’s help, it’s your turn! If someone were to make a doll or action figure that looked like you, what would it look like? Let’s find out. Make a figure or doll that looks like you using bits and scraps of paper. What colors, clothes do you like to wear? What is the shape of your nose and eyes? What is the color and style of your hair? If you like to read, add a book. If you like sports or music find some way to convey those activities. Using cut shapes and colors, create a Paper Doll portrait of YOU!
MLK Google Doodle
In 2014 I was asked to create a collage to commemorate the birthday and life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for Google.com. It was an honor to share in the world-wide celebration of a great man who brought more light and love into our world.